US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has arrived on Hamilton Island for the first leg of her whirlwind Australian adventure.

Good choices were rife at a Hamilton restaurant, especially the one to eat there.

Waikato-Tainui could be headed for the courts after a woman King Tuheitia fired claimed the move was unconstitutional.

A one-year-old baby is in a serious condition in Waikato Hospital after choking on a Twistie on Friday. The baby was brought in to Te Kuiti Hospital in the afternoon with choking and seizures after reportedly eating a "Twistie" snack.

The beef processing plant badly damaged by fire at Te Aroha, near Hamilton, overnight may be rebuilt into a world-class plant, owner Silver Fern Farms says.

Police are hunting a hit-and-driver who ran into a group of men fighting in central Hamilton overnight.

A Hamilton teenager led police on a high speed chase reaching speeds of 120km/h before he was caught early this morning.

Photos from the fire at the Silver Fern Farms freezing works in Te Aroha, Waikato.

Just how influential are the movies in transforming audiences into potential tourists?

The first results from a study of 7000 Auckland and Waikato babies shows that 11 per cent of women smoke throughout their pregnancies.

Water is one thing NZ has plenty of. So why don't we manage it better - for the economy and the environment? Nick Smith* reports.

Cate Foster is ready to wear the crown of river queen as she takes a leisurely ferry cruise.